Bad news for Dems - it will be hard to beat those economic numbers

The Bush Economic Renaissance? The economy grew in the last quarter at the blistering pace of 7.2 percent per annum. This is the best growth figure in 19 years - since 1984 (the era of Reagan).

With little positive agenda - and leaning heavily on criticism of Bush - the Dems cannot take too much good news about the economy or Iraq.

This report shows an economy that has not only turned around - it's moving forward like a bullet. If the Iraqis adopt a Constitution soon - or even better hold their first elections as a democratic nation - the Dems are doomed. We're talking McGovern-style electoral humiliation.

Via the Drudge Report.

Is Clark Blaming Bush for 9/11?

I am not sure how to take this one (I believe that a reader may have brought this up in the comments but I can't remember where). Clark ended a speech criticizing the Bush administration's foreign policy with this: "And then there is 9/11. There is no way this administration can walk away from its responsibilities. This wasn't something that can be blamed on lower level intelligence officers." (Source)

Does this amount to blaming Bush for 9/11? It's not really clear, but if so Clark is treading dangerous water. The general public is very serious about the issue and I'm not sure they'll take well to finger poining.

Franklin Foer, TNR's Primary, comments "I had high expectations for Wesley Clark, and still do. I think he could be the superior foreign policy candidate in the field. But for now, mere competence would do."

Tricky Dick Dean

Mud is slinging in the corn and caucus state. A Dean staffer is alleging that he was pushed and called a "faggot" by a Gephardt staffer. Gephardt's campaign is calling the whole thing a distortion and a "dirty trick", a buzz word they obviously hope will stick. Read the story at the DesMoines Register.

Zell Miller (D-GA) to Vote for Bush

From CNN:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democratic Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia said Wednesday he will endorse President Bush in the coming presidential election.

"This does not mean I am going to become a Republican," Miller said in a written statement. "It simply means that in the year 2004, this Democrat will vote for George Bush."

Miller first declared his intention in an online interview with The Weekly Standard, saying Bush is "the right man at the right time."

Full Story

Clark Floundering?

Sorry for the sporadic posting of late. I've been a little bogged down with javascript (which I know nothing about) at my home blog (which you should check out from time to time...shameless plug, I know). At any rate...I finally got it working so now I have that nifty little drop down extended entry thing that seems to be all the rage in the blogosphere these days.

At any rate, the biggest development over the last week or so has been the "stalling" Clark campaign. According to this CNN Article Clark has jumped from clear front runner to not so clear sort of runner-up. Of course, for those of you who read Poliblogger, Steven Taylor, on a regular basis, this comes as no  surprise.

Instapundit has also noticed Clark's trouble, pointing to William Saletan taking him to task over his tractability on Iraq. Glenn thinks this floundering could be a matter of Clark's character, not necessarily his campaigning.

I ultimately don't think its useful to speak of someone tied for front-runner as "floundering". The drop doesn't necessarily reflect mistakes on his part, but is probably just reflection (following Taylor here) that his newness has faded. There is still a lot of time left for mistakes to be made by any candidate, including Dean. Clark is certainly still a contender and things are just starting to get exciting.

William Saletan on the Clark and Lieberman Bail

From Slate:

But imagine how much worse today's media drubbing would have been had Clark or Lieberman pulled out alone. The story would have been that an isolated loser was making himself an isolated quitter. Together, Clark and Lieberman have enough clout to create an alternative, if weaker, story line: The problem isn't them; it's Iowa—and without their participation, the caucuses mean that much less.

Here! Here! The problem is Iowa. The Caucuses are becoming more and more insignificant for presidential elections. Since 1972 the Democratic Caucus winner has only gone on to the presidency once, Jimmy Carter in 1976 (and even here there was a major undecided vote). Furthermore they have a less than stellar record at even picking the candidate that will go on to win the Democratic nomination. So there seems to be no shame in focusing your energies on more important states. Remember, the skip Iowa strategy helped McCain win big in the 2000 NH primary.

Dean Sweeps Iowa

From CNN:

When Democrat Howard Dean walks into Cresco High School in Iowa's rural Howard County Wednesday night, he will have reached a political milestone -- campaign stops in each of the state's 99 counties.

Notably the last person to accomplish this was Dick Gephardt 1988, who won the caucuses but utterly failed to capture the Democratic nomination. I wonder if history repeats itself?

Lieberman Quits Iowa

Sorry about my absence of late. I've been a little tied up with personal stuff.

In a sign that things are tightening up for the Lieberman campaign (Lieberman's been losing ground in national polls) the Senator has decided to end his campaign operations in Iowa. This is in no way a sign of defeat; remember Wesley Clark never even started in Iowa for the same reasons, it's a waste of resources. Senator Lieberman will open up new offices in New Hampshire, as well as in Arizona, Oklahoma and South Carolina where he probably has a better chance and the benefits of a win are greater. But it is still a big question mark whether Leiberman can be successful in the South and West. His plain spoken manner may not be enough to overcome his Northeastern credentials, which have little currency in there.

Source: Chicago Tribune

CA Recall Election Results Mapped

Here's an interesting map breaking down the CA election by county. (link via ColdFury)

Update: Susanna Cornett has more

Graham Gone but Not Forgotten

Thomas Beaumont of the DesMoines Register is arguing that Graham's departure from the race helps Clark. Primarily because Graham has left behind a pretty healthy campaign staff in Iowa that appear ready and willing for Clark to pick up the charge. But Clark may be thinking otherwise. The Washington Post has an article this morning claiming that the Clark camp is going to forget about Iowa and New Hampshire. They've started too late to catch up in those states, which typically expect candidates to be on their soil for a considerable amount of time during the year prior to the elections. They plan to focus on later but equally important primaries in the South and West. This is a risky decision, Clark might be better advised to try to make a decent showing in NH at least.

Furthermore, Graham's resignation from the race also helps Clark by eliminating one of his very few foreign policy challengers; Graham is Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Finally, Graham might be gone for now but don't count him out as someone's VP candidate. Florida is an extraordinarily important state in the Electoral College (as we all know) and with the President's brother governor of the state, Democrats will need every leg up they can get. Graham, the state's senior senator could be that leg.

Bad Organization Equals Bad Campaign

...at least according to Paul Farhi. Farhi argues in this WaPo article that there are structural problems within the Kerry camp that have lead to the presidential hopeful's underperformance. Funny usually they wait til after a campaign is over to start tearing it up...is it over for Kerry?

Clark May Be in Trouble

From the Washington Post:

Retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark may have violated federal election laws by discussing his presidential campaign during recent paid appearances, according to campaign finance experts.

Clark, a newcomer to presidential politics, touted his candidacy during paid appearances at DePauw University in Indiana and other campuses after he entered the presidential race on Sept. 17. Under the laws governing the financing of presidential campaigns, candidates cannot be paid by corporations, labor unions, individuals or even universities for campaign-related events. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) considers such paid political appearances akin to a financial contribution to a candidate.

I'm looking for text of the speech so that we can see for ourselves. More later.

Bush Blog

Here's your link to GW's Official Blog. The most recent post:

What's going on for Wednesday, October 8, 2003?

President Bush is at the White House where he will make remarks on domestic violence prevention at 3 p.m. and sign a Proclamation for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In the evening, he will attend the 2003 Republican National Committee Presidential Gala at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice will deliver remarks at the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations at 12:00 p.m. (CDT) in Chicago, Illinois.

Around the administration, Secretary Ridge is in St. Louis, MO, for a Council of Excellence town hall meeting to highlight a new initiative designed to involve citizens in homeland security. John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, is in Boston, MA, to host the New England Governor’s anti-drug summit.

That posted by the mysterious "GeorgeWBush.com" at 9:37 PM last night ...

CNN projection: Davis Out, Schwarzenegger Wins

Dogs and cats living together, bricks falling out of buildings ... and this from CNN:

CNN projects that California's electorate will recall Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and choose actor-turned-politician, Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Golden State's next governor, based on statewide exit polls.

Davis, re-elected to a second term less than a year ago, would become the first governor recalled from office since 1921, when North Dakota voters ousted Gov. Lynn Frazier.

A Presidential Poll With A Twist

A CBS News/New York Times poll gave half of the respondents the choice between:

"Howard Dean, John Edwards, Richard Gephardt, Bob Graham, John Kerry, Dennis Kucinich, Joe Lieberman, Carol Moseley Braun, Al Sharpton, or someone else (with the order of the names rotated)."

The other half of the respondents were given the choice between:

"General Wesley Clark, Dr. Howard Dean, Senator John Edwards, Congressman Richard Gephardt, Senator Bob Graham, Senator John Kerry, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Senator Joe Lieberman, former Senator Carol Moseley Braun, Reverend Al Sharpton, or someone else (again, with the names rotated)."

The different results are astonishing... and revealing.
 

CA: Turnout Heavy In Recall

From LA Times

In less than half an hour, nearly 50 people had voted at a school in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Eagle Rock. "We've never had that many," said poll inspector Liz Stillwell, who has worked at the polls for 20 years.

Posted by PoliticaObscura at 03:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

CA: Voter Sexual Harassment By Poll Worker Reported

This post on the weblog "CalBlog" describes voter harassment by poll workers during today's CA Recall election.

Also reported on Instapundit.com.

Graham Drops Out

Bob just told Larry King that he's done ... here's the WaPo story:

Bob Graham, a political veteran whose low-key style failed to gain traction in the crowded Democratic presidential race, said Monday night he was ending his campaign.

"I'm leaving because I have made the judgment that I can not be elected president of the United States," Graham said in announcing his exit from the race on CNN's "Larry King Live."

He said he was not successful because he started his campaign too late and had trouble raising money.

UPDATE:Read the inside accounts on Graham's blog here.

The Latest Polling Data: It's A Dead Heat

Clark leads the Dems; Bush finds himself in an (early) dead heat. (Source: PollingReport)

Clark Blog

The General has tossed his hat into the blogosphere as well. Here's the link to Generally Speaking, the official Clark blog. The latest post:

News Roundup
Some of the latest news. Feel free to discuss:

The Press Democrat: Clark, Dean lead Democrats
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Few voters in state list party affiliation
Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Democratic chairwoman gives Clark endorsement
Tallahassee Democrat: Clark may prove that 'centrist' is not a dirty word